Pleat holder



Nov. 1, 1966 B. J. ESTERBROOKS 3,282,479

PLEAT HOLDER Filed Sept. 14, 1965 INVENTOR. Barry J4/VE arm/es 2%, q vm United States Patent 3,282,479 PLEAT HGLDER Betty Jane Ester-brooks, 1016 Upham Road, Duluth, Minn. Filed Sept. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 487,154 1 Claim. (Cl. 223-35) This invention relates to a device for holding pleats in garments such as ladies skirts whereby to hold the pleats in predetermined relationship to each other and in a predetermined shape as to facilitate pressing thereof with a domestic iron or steam iron.

It has been the practice in the past to hold such pleats with pins, but this has been found to be unsatisfactory from the standpoint that the pin heads scar or mark the face of the iron being used to press the garment so that the face will no longer be smooth for the best use of the iron for these and other purposes. Additionally, use of the pins is extremely time consuming, and also the pins do leave marks or depressions on certain types of fabrics as the iron is passed over the pins in the fabric. Therefore in the use of certain fabrics, the presence of pins makes an undesirable appearance in the finished pleat.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved pleat holder of simple and inexpensive construction and operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and novel pleat holder which may be readily and easily applied to pleats of various natures in a garment to hold the pleats in predetermined shapes and in predetermined relationships to each other during pressing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel pleat holder to grip the fabric in such a manner as to allow the folds in the fabric to be sharply creased, and wherein the device is also created as to minimize the likelihood of the production of undesired creases or folds or marks in the fabric.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section view of the device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device being applied to a garment having a box pleat;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the device being applied to a garment with accordion pleats.

One form of the invention is shown in the drawings and is described herein.

It will be understood that the pleat holder is indicated in general by numerals 1t and is well adapted for holding pleats of various shapes and natures during pressing. In FIG. 3 the pleat holder is shown being applied to a typical box pleat of a ladies skirt, and in FIG.4, the pleat holder is shown being applied to a garment having accordion pleats.

The pleat holder may be constructed for various materials such as sheet aluminum suitably stamped into the desired configuration and shape and alternately, the pleat holder may be constructed of plastic material which are resistant to such temperatures as are encountered in a pressing operation utilizing a domestic iron and/ or similar equipment.

The pleat holder is in the form shown, constructed of a single unitary piece 12, of sheet material, formed into a pair of elongate fingers 13 lying in spaced edge-to-edge relation with each other with the inner edges 13a thereof oriented parallel to each other to define a slot 13b between the fingers for receiving the creased edge portions ice of the pleats of the garment 18. The slot 13b may have an eye 13c formed at its innermost end.

Preferably, the terminal end portions 14 of the fingers are rolled or turned upwardly slightly as best seen in FIG. 2.

The pleat holder 10 also includes a substantially flat and broad plate 15 lying in confronting relation with the fiat fingers 13 as to cooperate therewith in holding the pleated portion of a garment with the fingers 13 extended into the pleats. It will be noted that the plate 15 extends beyond the terminal end portions 14 of the fingers so that the entire pleated portion of the garment which is engaged by the fingers 13 will be gripped in cooperation therewith by the plate 15. Additionally, the terminal end portion 16 of the plate is rolled downwardly so as to cooperate with the rolled end portions 14 of the fingers in providing ready and easy assembly of the pleat holder 10 with the garment 18.

It will also be noted that the plate 15 has a breadth which is substantially greater than the combined breadth of the fingers 13 so that the side edge portion of the plate 15 extends transversely beyond the outer edges of the fingers 13. The plate 15 will underly substantially the entire plate to be pressed, so as to minimize the formation of undesired wrinkles or crease lines in the pleat of the garment, and the substantially greater breadth of the plate 15 than the combined breadth of the fingers facilitates ready and easy inspection of the pleats during assembly and adjustment or straightening of the pleats so held, and just prior to applying the iron to the pleat for pressing. It will be readily seen that the unitary piece of material forming the fingers 13 and plate 15 provides an interconnection 17 which may be rolled as seen in FIG. 1 to provide the desired degree of resiliency for biasing the fingers and plate toward each other.

Although the drawings at FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are somewhat exaggerated in relation to the size of the pleats, so that the pleats can be readily seen and understood, it will be understood that. the pleated portion 19 of the garment 18 will substantially entirely overlie the plate portion 15 of the holder.

It will be seen that I have provided a new and improved pleat holder which is readily and easily applicable to the pleats of the garment for holding the pleats in proper closed position and predetermined relation during the pressing of a garment. The pleat holder is quickly applied to the garment and adjusted and may be readily and easily removed with a minimum of inconvenience.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

A device for holding the pleats in a garment in predetermined position during pressing of the garment,

oomprisin g .a pair of fiat fingers lying olosely proximal spaced edge-to-edge relation with each other and substantially in a plane, said fingers having inner edges in confronting relation with each other and oriented in juxtaposition with each other to define a linear slot therebetween to receive the creased edges of the garment pleats as the fingers are extended into the ends of the pleats and thereby facilitate pressing of the crease-s along said edges, and slot having an inner end, said fingers also having outer edges and end portions,

a finger mounting plate common to both of said fingers and formed integrally thereof, said plate lying substantially in said plane and at the inner end of said slot.

a substantially fiat backing plate disposed in confronting and oblique relation with said flat fingers and finger mounting plate and having a lower end portion extending beyond the end portions of said fingers to confront the end portions of the fingers in spaced relation therewith entirely within the periphery of the plate, said backing plate cooperating with said fingers to underly the pleated portion of the garment and to hold the pileats in substantially closed and stationary condition as to permit pressing of the pleats of the garment, said backing plate having a breadth extending transversely beyond the outer edges of the fingers to provide access to the pleat edge portions overlying the backing plate for inspection and straightening preparatory to pressing, said backing having an upper portion nearly contiguous with said finger mounting plate, the spacing 1 between said fingers and backing plate progressively decreasing upwardly along said backing plate to :1 looped portion common to both said finger mounting plate and said backing plate and formed integrally thereof and resiliently biasing said fingers toward the plate when deflected by the garment pleats.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,166,174 12/1915 Bisbee 22335 r JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 0

G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,282,479 November 1, 1966 Betty Jane Esterbrooks It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 64, for "and" read said column 3, line 14, after "backing" insert plate Signed and sealed this 5th day of September 1967.

( L) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents 

